£9 million for research to improve health and care in the east of England
Following a successful bid to improve health and care services across the region through research, CPFT will be hosting the new National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) for East of England.
On the 11th July the government announced a total £135m investment for 15 NIHR ARCs across the UK. This includes £9 million for the NIHR ARC East of England which is a 5 year collaboration between CPFT and the universities of Cambridge, East Anglia, Hertfordshire and Essex along with other NHS trusts, local authorities, regional sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs), patient-led organisations, charities, and industry partners across the region.
ARC East of England aims to improve care across the following research and cross cutting themes;
- mental health over the life course (led by Prof. Jesus Perez
- ageing and multi-morbidity (led by Prof. Claire Goodman);
- palliative and end-of-life care (led by Dr Stephen Barclay);
- inclusive involvement in research for practice led health and social care (led by Prof. Fiona Poland and Dr Elspeth Mathie);
- health economics and prioritisation in health and social care (led by Prof. Jenny Whitty);
- population evidence and data science (led BY Prof. Carol Brayne);
- prevention and early detection (led by Prof. Wendy Wills).
Focused research projects will help communities with the greatest health challenges in Great Yarmouth and Waveney, Peterborough and Fenland, Stevenage and Thurrock. The ARC East of England will also co-lead applied research in; mental health; and palliative and end of life care nationally with the ARC South London.
The regional bid involved many collaborators, who helped shape a plan to work with health professionals, researchers, patients and carers to ensure future research meets a wide range of health needs, from young children to frail elderly. Applied research supports NHS frontline staff to change practice and investigate whether care and treatments are effective and provide good value, sharing and translating the latest findings to benefit patients and families as quickly as possible.
Over five years, this programme of research will take forward work from the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC EoE), which has supported the region with research for 11 years. Some examples of NIHR CLAHRC EoE projects making a difference include:
- Reducing physical restraint on mental health wards
- Supporting LGBTQ young people in social care
- Improving support for the transition from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
- Reducing out of area placements to help children and young people remain in local communities
- Building capacity for clinicians to develop services for children with acquired brain injuries (ABI)
This short video explains how the ARC EoE plans to benefit patients and families
For more information and to get involved in the ARC, contact the ARC team on 01223 465189 clahrcoffice@cpft.nhs.uk.
